1 / 10

Public Benefits Outreach and Enrollment in the Chicago Public Schools: A Match Made in Heaven

Public Benefits Outreach and Enrollment in the Chicago Public Schools: A Match Made in Heaven. The scope of the issue. Chicago Public Schools has 600+ schools with 435,000 students 87% enrollment in Free and Reduced Price Meals (similar eligibility guidelines as Medicaid and food stamps)

krikor
Download Presentation

Public Benefits Outreach and Enrollment in the Chicago Public Schools: A Match Made in Heaven

An Image/Link below is provided (as is) to download presentation Download Policy: Content on the Website is provided to you AS IS for your information and personal use and may not be sold / licensed / shared on other websites without getting consent from its author. Content is provided to you AS IS for your information and personal use only. Download presentation by click this link. While downloading, if for some reason you are not able to download a presentation, the publisher may have deleted the file from their server. During download, if you can't get a presentation, the file might be deleted by the publisher.

E N D

Presentation Transcript

  1. Public Benefits Outreach and Enrollment in the Chicago Public Schools: A Match Made in Heaven

  2. The scope of the issue • Chicago Public Schools has 600+ schools with 435,000 students • 87% enrollment in Free and Reduced Price Meals (similar eligibility guidelines as Medicaid and food stamps) • 90,000 students with Free and Reduced Price Meals but no active medical card at any given time, the targeted population for food stamp and health care enrollment

  3. Why CPS Cares • Academic Performance: Proven connection between healthy kids and academic achievement • Increased emphasis on improving student health • Coordinated School Health • Vending machines • Gates Foundation

  4. The “Bottom Line” • For every eligible child who is enrolled in food stamps, All Kids or cash assistance, CPS receives upwards of $2,000 in state educational revenue • At any given time, approximately 90,000 CPS students are potentially eligible but not enrolled in health benefits. • If CPS was able to increase the Poverty Count by 10,000, there would be an increase of $20 million in state revenue.

  5. What to Do • USDA funded research proves a dedicated Unit, whose sole responsibility is public education and enrollment assistance, is the only effective way to increase food stamp enrollment • CPS creates the Children and Family Benefits Unit and receives partial funding from USDA as part of Illinois Food Stamp Outreach Plan

  6. Community Based Model • CFBU Liaisons are strategically placed in CPS schools through out Chicago in areas with highest concentrations of under-enrollment • Links with neighboring schools and Community Based Organizations are established and sustained

  7. Children and Family Benefits Unit • 11 Liaisons- 7 bilingual, bi-cultural • One bilingual English/Spanish Hotline Operator • Liaisons complete applications for food stamps, Medicaid, SCHIP and TANF over the phone or in person • Attend parent meetings • Host school-based enrollment events • Train parents and school staff about income support policy • Provide case management for families

  8. Why schools work • Existing infrastructure • Data • Departments • Events • Phone system • Trust • Ease of application completion

  9. THANK YOU! For more information please contact the Children and Family Benefits Unit Hotline: 773-553-KIDS.

More Related